Dalglish surprises youngsters with coaching session

Wednesday 29 April 2015

Local football club, AFC Claremont, enjoyed a surprise visit from Scottish football legend, Kenny Dalglish, at their weekly training session on Saturday. McDonald’s Head of Scottish Football was at the East Kilbride based football club to visit 2014 national award winner, Michael Dyer and encourage communities to get behind their local club or grassroots hero and nominate them for the 2015 Grassroots Awards.

During his visit Dalglish oversaw a training session with AFC Claremont, met with club officials and spent time on the pitch with club coaches, passing on his expertise before hosting a Q&A with players.

Kenny Dalglish, McDonald’s Head of Scottish Football, said: “AFC Claremont are an incredibly well run club with an army of dedicated volunteers. It was an absolute pleasure to meet them today, their passion for the game was extremely inspiring and it is reassuring to know that they are looking after the next generation of footballers in East Kilbride.

Without clubs like AFC Claremont grassroots football in Scotland wouldn’t exist, we are lucky to have clubs like them and it’s so important that we say thank you for all their hardwork. I would like to urge anyone who has been inspired by their local club or grassroots volunteer to nominate them for a 2015 award.”

John Mitchell, AFC Claremont Deputy Chairman, said: “It was an honour to have Kenny visit the AFC Claremont over the weekend. He is a true legend of the game and it was brilliant to hear him talk so highly of the club and watch him spend time with our coaches and young players. It was fantastic when Michael won a national award last year and we’re hoping we can replicate that feat in 2015.”

Local McDonald’s Franchisee, Kate Walker, said: “We are extremely proud to support AFC Claremont, they work incredibly hard and offer so much to our local community. It’s fantastic to be able to bring someone of Kenny’s calibre to the club to see first-hand the huge commitment the volunteers here make to ensure local kids have a safe and fun environment to play football. Over the last 12 years, the awards have recognised hundreds of volunteers from all over Scotland. They give the East Kilbride community an opportunity to recognise and say thank you to volunteers like Michael and the clubs that they dedicate so much of their time to.”

The awards, now in their 12th year, celebrate and raise awareness of the thousands of people that dedicate their time to help improve the grassroots game across Scotland. Nominations for The Scottish FA Grassroots Awards are open and you can nominate your local grassroots hero or club by visiting www.mcdonalds.co.uk/awards.